Carlos César assures that the Government is available to support Local Councils, but it is not accountable for their debts

Carlos César said last Thursday that the Government should neither “discuss the goodness of the municipal investments as long as they are developed in a legal framework” nor “take responsibility for the payments of the debts incurred by local councils in order carry out such investments.”

“All local councils will certainly investment mistakes and difficult situations,” Carlos César stressed, adding that relying on the Government’s help to pay the debts cannot be a solution in all these situations.

The President of the Government received at an audience the Mayor of the Vila Franca do Campo Town Hall – who alerted Carlos César for the alarming financial situation of the municipality for which he was recently elected – and conveyed his expectation that “with talent, strong will, boldness and innovative situations,” Vila Franca, likewise other local councils, will be able to overcome the difficulties inherited from previous mandates.

Stressing that the Government’s interest in following the local administration to determine the possibility of providing support in the face of difficulties, Carlos César said that, in the case of Vila Franca do Campo, the Government may support 15% of the renewal of the “Plano dos Centenários” schools. The remaining 85% would be paid by the town hall, using Community funds.

For Carlos César, the establishment of contracts with the local administration for investments requiring EU funds is an alternative perspective, as “this means work and the involvement of companies,” however, in the case of Vila Franca do Campo, this also assumes that the Town Hall has to solve pending situations, such as the case of the Açor Arena and the Marina, with the funding entities and suppliers which have not received any payment from the Vila Franca Town Hall for a long time.”

Mentioning the importance of becoming acquainted with the financial situation of public institutions – a reason for which he praised the availability and transparency of the current administration of the Vila Franca Town Hall – Carlos César revealed the existence of local councils that, despite significant budgets, are also facing serious difficulties.

“It is very important that the Media, with their freedom and influence in the Azores, become acquainted with the financial situation of every local council,” defended Carlos César, to whom transparency is necessary and not the “burdening of suppliers and companies with debts that take months and, sometimes, years to be paid.”

GaCS/CT

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